Truck-wheel.



A. M. tEONL- mucx WHEEL.

APPLICATION FILED APR. 1. I916.

1,201,597. Patented Oct. 17,1916

* UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE.

ALFONSO M. LEONI, F PHILADELPHIA, PENNSYLVANIA, ASSIGNOR TO GEORG' WALTHER, 0F DAYTON, OHIO.

TRUCK-WHEEL.

Specification of Letters Patent.

Patented Oct. 17, 1916.

Application filed April 1, 1916. Serial No. 88,393.

To all whom it may concern Be it known that I, ALFONSO M. LEOXI, a subject of the King of Italy, and resident of Philadelphia, in the county of Philadelphia.

and State of Pennsylvania, have invented certain new and useful Improvements in Truck-VVheels, of which the following is a specification.

This invention relates to wheels and particularly to those of a heavy type such as employed on trucks.

The invention is particularly useful when applied to the construction of integral cast wheels.

A principal object of the invention is to produce a wheel of great strength and resiliency, and havingimproved features of Construction at the junction points of the spokes, rim and hulb tending to prevent the formation of cracks.

Another object is to give the wheel an advantageous form of rim effectively correlated to the features of construction of the spokes. The invention consists in the general combination of parts and in the features described in the following specification while the broad sco e of the invention is set forth in the appenc ed claims.

In the drawing, Figure 1 is a partial side elevation and section of a wheel embodying my invention. Fig. 2 is a plan or face view of the wheel partially broken away to show the wheel partially in section. Fig. 3 is an '35 enlarged section in the-plane of the wheel showing a detail of a modified embodiment of features of the invention. Fig. 4 is a section at the rim intermediate of the spokes and showing another modified embodiment of features of the invention. Fig. 5 is a similarview showing the embodiment of the invention illustrated in F ig. 1. The wheel preferably comprises a hub 1 in the form of "a sleeve. from which radiate spokes 2 which are preferably of slightly taper'ed tubular form and integrally connected with the hub through the side walls 3 of the spokes. a

In order to give thewheel increased resiliency and lightness at the huh I prefer to leave the front and rear walls 4 and 5 of the spokes unattached directly to the hub but} prefer to connect the rear wall of ear-h spoke snake Hakeem n! with the forward wall of the adjacent spoke. by an integral curved wall ('3 preferably struck on a relatively great radius.

The rim of the wheel is preferably constructed so as to absorb shocks and so as to impart them resilientl to the spokes. For this purpose I prefer to form the rim with an inner circumferential wall 7 which is integrally united with the forward and rear walls of the spokes by extending these walls of the \spokes in broad sweepiiigcurves 8 which merge into the circumferential wall. I prefer also to employ similar curves 9 for integrally connecting the sidewalls 3 of the spokes with the cirmimferential wall. For the same purpose I also prefer to give the rim of the wheel a hollow form. and in order to do this I prefer to formtlie rim with integral side walls 10 which lie in the plane of the wheel and project away fromthe axis of the wheel.

In order to carry the tire 11 I'prefer to provide the walls 10 with separated extensions or inward projections 12 which form seats for and constitute means for attaching the tire. and preferably these projections 12 are in the form of continuous flanges. ;These extensions 12 are separated because the wheel is open between them throughout Litscircumferenee. i In order to tie the flangeSlQ tOg ethe rlI prefer to provide the rim 'intermed'iat the spokes with transverse webs 13 and webs if desired may be of a depthlfifi tatt tia-lly equal to the depth of the nim s it hit the out 1' edge of the-.web is flush \Yitlft outer faces of the, flanges. "1 0 give thse'aifi' termediate partsgf .tl-rerim greater strength, I also prefer to provide longitudinal: webs 15 preferably 10 'ated in the central lane of the wheel and, whichginterseetthe?traits verse webs. 'Ifhese websjpreferab'lyh izi 5 portion 14 of substantially equal dept tt'itli the fin]. anil their, edgeslfi curve may as ward and mergeinto theforward" d has walls of the spokes. I i 1. 3?? If it isdesired to.strengtllenthrspoke it?!) loi igitiulii'ialfwelis gini'rv" fhaye j long ta?" extensions 17 (seel l lg l l wlnch ru; the spokes and merge or dieaway I? .1 w tner; facesof the for. rd and Le" f itis desired to fifth] mo Moi the tire, I ma transverse we (see Fig. 4?, the strengt form the outer edge of each with a flange such as at 18 and this of course increases 1 of the wheel locally. The lon itudinal webs in this case may 0 short and of such a form as indicated at 18" (see Fig. 4).

()ne of the functions of the transverse webs is to prevent local lateral forces in the wheel from tendin to split apart the sides of the wheel at the lab. Such forces may be developed while the wheel is assing on a curve or where the roadway inc ines laterally with respect to a horizontal line. The transverse we )8 also operate beneficially by increasing the connected mass which of course tends to absorb a shock.

The small extent of the lon itudinal ribs that is of fullest depth (see ig. 5) is advantageous because it leaves a greater extent of the ribs free to vibrate ant in that way absorb shocks. The fact that the side walls of the rim project away from the axis operates to form a closed rim (after the tire is in place). This is advantageous as the rim will not tend to catch and pick up dirt.

It is understood that the embodiment of the invention set forth herein, is only one of the man embodiments the invention may take, and do not wish to be limited in the practice of my invention nor in my claims to the particular embodiment set forth.

What I claim is:

1. As a new article of manufacture an integral metal wheel having a hub a plurality of substantially tubular spokes disposed radially from said hub a rim havin an inner circumferential wall, the forwar and rear walls of said spokes extended in broadly sweeping curves mergin into the said circumferential wall of sai rim, said rim havin inte ral side walls extendin substantial y in the plane of the wheel, and having separated extensions projecting inwardly from the outer ed es of the side walls of said rim for attaching a tire to said wheel.

2. As a new article of manufacture an integral metal wheel having a hub a plu' rality of substantially tubular spokes disposed radially from said hub, a rim havin an inner circumferential wall, the-forwar and rear walls of said spokes extending in broadly sweeping curves merging into the said circumferential wall of said rim, said rim havin integral side walls extending substantial y in the plane of the wheel, united by integral transverse webs intermediate said spo es and having separated extensions projecting inwardly from the outer ed s of the side walls of said rim for attac ing a tire to said wheel.

3. As a new article of manufacture an integral metal wheel having a substantially cylindrical hub, tubular spokes hub, a rim, the

a plurality of substantially disposed radially from said forward and rear walls of said spokes extended in sweeping curves mergin into the wall of said nm, the said forwar and rear walls of said spokes at the inner ends of the s okes connected b an integral curved wall? said curved wal unattached directly to said hub, the side walls of said spokes connected with both ends of said hub.

4. As a new artic': of manufacture an integral metal wheel having a hub, a plurality of substantially tubular spokes disposed radially from said hub, a rim having an inner circumferential wall, the forward and rear walls of said spokes extended in sweeping curves mergin into the said circum e 'ential wall of sai rim, said rim having integral side walls extending substantially in the plane of the wheel, and ion tudinal webs lying substantially in t e plane of the wheel and extending circumferentially along the rim between the side walls thereof, said webs terminating in broadly sweeping curves merging into the forward and rear walls of said s okes.

5. As a new article of manu acture an integral metal wheelhaving a hub a plurality of substantially tubular spokes disposed radially from said hub a rim having an inner circumferential wall, the forward and rear walls of said spokes extended in sweeping curves mergin into the said circum erential wall of sai rim, said rim having integral side walls extending substantially in the plane of the wheel, and longitudinal webs lying substantially in the plane of the wheel and extending circumferentially along the rim between the side walls thereof, said webs terminating in broadly sweeping curves mer 'ng into the forward and rear walls of sai spokes, said rim having integral inwardly projecting flanges, and transverse webs intersecting said longitudinal webs and connecting the said side walls of said rim.

6. As a new article of manufacture an integral metal wheel having a hub, a plurality of substantially tubular radially disposed spokes, a rim having an inner circumferential wall, the forward and rear walls of said spokes extended in sweeping curves merging into the said circumferential wall, said rim having side walls extendmg away from the axis eyond the said circumferential wall, said wheel being open between said side walls throughout substantially the entire circumference thereof.

7. As a new article of manufacture an integral metal wheel having a hub, a plurality of substantially tubular spokes a rim havmg an inner circumferential wall, and outwardly extending side walls at the edges ill) lit)

of said circumferential Wall, the fofward and rear Walls of said spokes extended in sweeping curves merging intn the said circumferential wall, the side walls of said spokes extended in curves merging into the said circumferential wall, said Wheel be ing open between said side Walls throughout substantially the entire circumference thereof.

Signed at Davton in the county of Mont- 10 ALFONSO M. LEONI. 

